• Beach towels - during off-season
• Extra sheets - keep the linen closet organized
• Kids' hand-me-down-clothing that will "make another round" on another child later on. If they are labeled properly and stored in Rubbermaid containers, it can help so much with sorting through sizes when the next child in line is ready to inherit the older siblings' clothing!
• Small toys that can get lost in a toy box. Label them with words or pictures so that the kids can easily sort and put things where they belong. Cover words or pictures with clear tape to preserve.
• Card game storage. Loose cards that have lost their packages can be kept neat in smaller zippered bags.
• Car/Van organization: loose tissues, first aid supplies, quick pick-up cleaning supplies, car games, books for kids to read while on trips, etc.
• Hairbow storage - organize by color, type, etc. and keep neatly in a drawer.
• Yarn storage
• Organize the baby drawers...socks, onesies, towels/washcloths, toiletry items, bath items, etc.

Click Here

by Barbara Myers

Everyone has some degree of clutter lurking at home. When you're tired of moving it around, stepping over it, and losing important items in it, it's time to take control of the clutter. What should you do with it? You have seven options:

1. Dispose of it. Much of clutter is trash you either thought you would need or figured you'd throw out later.

2. Put it away. about half of the remaining clutter in most homes consists of items that simply haven't been put away. Fill a laundry basket then deliver the items to their proper rooms. avoid this clutter trap by making things easy to put away and by enforcing a family "use it and put it away" rule.

3. Donate it. if you don't use it, it's not a treasured decorative item or memento, and it's not a important piece of paper, get rid of it. Pass it along to someone who can use it.

4. Refer it. the novel you've been saving for Debbie, the recipe you copied for Aunt Jan and the gloves borrowed from Mom need to be sent or delivered to their rightful owners. Gather them and make your rounds tomorrow.

5. File it. Set up a "hold" file for wedding invitations and concert tickets (after you note them in your calendar). Set up a "to file" file for all important papers.

6. Fix it or have it repaired today. Those buttons aren't going to sew themselves. Either mend them or take them to a seamstress. The same goes for the broken toys, watches and electronics.

7. Give it a home. Everything else is something that belongs in your home but you don't know what to do with it. Where DO you put extra batteries and your kids' artwork? Designate a permanent place in your home for each group of items you find in a clutter pile. Simplify by making a list of items and where they belong.

Getting rid of clutter doesn't have to be a long, drawn out process. You can complete this entire list of clutter- reducing projects in an hour or less.

1. Toss 10. Grab a trash bag. Find ten items in your home that you no longer need or want and put them in the bag. Toss the bag in the trash or put it in your donation box, and never look back.

2. Clear a surface. Find at least one cluttered surface, like a coffee table or dresser top, and completely clear it of all clutter--swiftly dumping any trash.

3. Toss old magazines. Go through your home and gather any old magazines or newspapers you've already flipped through. Recycle or donate them today.

4. Weed out 5. The thought of weeding out your entire filing system may seem daunting, but anyone can weed out just 5 file folders.

5. Pick through a junk drawer. Whatever you can't identify or is clearly junk (meaning you'll never use it) gets tossed.

6. Toss anything expired. Go through your fridge and medicine cabinet, gathering anything perishable that has expired. A good day to do this is on garbage day, so you can hand off what you've collected to the trash collector.

7. Dump junk mail. Quickly go through your pile of mail and dump anything that is clearly junk mail.

8. Put things away. While carrying a large shopping bag with handles, go through your home putting at least 8 things that are not in their correct place in the bag. Then, deliver those items to their proper homes.

http://www.getorganizednow.com/foffhome.html

by Marilyn Rockett

Okay, Ladies—let’s talk. It’s time to drag this idea of organization out of the shadows, dust it off, and take a good look. We know we need “it” but we aren’t sure where to get “it” or how to keep “it.” We see a friend or acquaintance with “it,” and we wonder how she does “it.”

Why does organization seem so difficult? We long for order out of our chaos, but the whole thing seems to elude us at times. If we could just grasp “it” long enough to show some positive progress, we would feel hope for long-term solutions to our dilemma.

Each of us fights a private battle with organization. Do you lack training? Do you have lazy habits? Do you have a rebellious spirit toward your role in the home? Are you just too busy juggling too many balls? Is school time or your use of a particular curriculum crowding out other important tasks because you fear that you won’t provide a good education for your children? Have you forgotten your priorities? Maybe you’ve never sorted out your priorities; consequently, you jump from one task to another, leaving unfinished jobs strewn from one end of the house to the other. Whatever your particular nemesis, you may be tired of the fight and you yearn for peace and order in your home.

If you desire that order, you have come to a profitable place for change. As in anything you do, you have to want the results or it just won’t happen. My experience has shown me that there is no one “right” system for everyone, but there are certain principles that help all of us, no matter what battle we fight.

When all around you is falling apart, you must begin small, taking one baby-step at a time. Begin at the beginning with the ABCs of order.

Acknowledge Your Successes and Failures

Despite your feelings, you probably are doing some tasks well. Identify those things and examine why you are successful in those areas. Even if you see only one thing, look at it and ask yourself these questions: Do I like doing this particular thing? Am I good at it, and do I feel successful when I do it? Is this an easy task for me?

For example, you may love to cook. You love to create new dishes that are nutritious and tasty. You enjoy experimenting with recipes, and you seldom use one exactly as it is written. Possibly you serve several “famous” dishes that everyone raves about. Experiencing the joy of seeing your family savor a wonderful meal that you have prepared for them makes homemaking worthwhile to you. However, your home is falling down around you—the laundry piles higher every day, green rings decorate your toilet bowls, and you would rather throw a shirt away than sew on a button.

You obviously have applied your creative spirit to your culinary skills and have experienced success with that area of your responsibilities. Congratulate yourself for that ability and keep up the good work! Remind yourself that you do some things well.

Now, look for ways to carry that same creative bent to the things that you enjoy less. Decorate your bathroom by hanging fresh curtains and some lovely pictures. Use a pretty tray to keep items neatly on the bath counter. Add a picture of your husband or your children to smile at each morning as you get dressed. (One of my favorite pictures sits on my bath counter.) It is harder to leave that green toilet ring when your bath is pretty and inviting.

If the mending stares at you but you would rather put off doing it, try gathering all your supplies into a pretty basket large enough to hold them, plus a few mending items. Place the basket next to your chair in the family room (or on a shelf nearby, if you have young children who love to rummage through things like baskets). When you sit down in the evening, pick up the mending while a family member reads aloud or the children relate their day to Dad. Tackling one or two items quickly is easier than facing a large stack of mending at one time.

Accept the fact that you can do some tasks better than others. Admit your weaknesses and look for ways to improve in those areas.

Build a Basic Routine

If you often jump from one task to another without finishing anything or you feel as though you don’t know where to start on most days, you need a basic routine. Your creative spirit may bristle at the thought of a “schedule,” but a simple, doable framework frees you and allows time to accomplish the basics.

Make a weekly routine based on a predictable sequence rather than on certain minutes or hours to do what you need to do. A simple routine that you stick to, even for part of your day, is the single most helpful thing you can do to restore order to your home. After all, it was skipping those basic responsibilities that brought about the chaos in the first place.

A simple, skeleton routine that allows for housework time, play time, and school time allows you freedom to be flexible while still maintaining order and a generally clean and tidy home. If you keep it simple, you will find more time to do other activities without sacrificing your home on the altar of the urgent.

Evaluate each room in your home, deciding which things are most important to accomplish and which could wait, if necessary. Write those things down on paper as you walk through your home. Then use the list to establish your routine. You and your family must grocery shop, cook meals, wash dishes, do laundry, clean floors, and make beds—or at least change sheets occasionally. You may want to include a daily pick-up time to help keep clutter to a minimum. Include anything else that helps you maintain your home at a reasonable level of functionality.

Put your routine on paper, marking blocks of time each day for activities such as housework and chore time, school time, fun time, and any particular commitments such as music lessons, sports practices, and so forth. Post the routine where the family can see it, and stick to it as much as possible. Remember that you don’t have particular hours or minutes to do things, rather you have blocks of time to accomplish the necessary tasks—chores after breakfast, school time after chores, and library trips on the days you take the children to music lessons, for example. If an emergency shifts your routine, just go back to the basics as soon as you are able. Assign chores to each of your children old enough to do them, and supervise to see that they complete what you expect of them.

Most important, don’t overplan. If you stay too busy with multiple activities, you won’t have time to teach your children to work and to maintain your home in a God-honoring way—not perfect, but presentable.

Continue to Change

Motherhood, homemaking, parenting, and teaching children are not for wimps! Those jobs are difficult and require continual learning and adjusting. I don’t know anyone who has ever accomplished all of them perfectly.

Change is difficult, isn’t it? If you haven’t done well in keeping your home, determine why and then work on that particular problem. Your example of a commitment to persevere will teach your children to keep going when things are hard and to continue to learn and grow in all areas of their lives.

Don’t be afraid to make changes in how and when you do things. If something isn’t working, change it. Find the best method and time for you and your family, and don’t do something just because your mother did it that particular way. Ask older women for help and ideas or find a mentor. Scripture tells us that the older woman should teach the younger woman (Titus 2:3-5), but we seem to forget that practical admonition in today’s culture. Someone else who has been where you are often can see problems that you are overlooking. Don’t be too proud to ask for help.

I’m so grateful for the new beginnings the Lord provides when needed. He desires that we work toward homes that honor Him, and we can trust that He will give us the energy, power, and new beginnings for our tasks.

Praise Him for your strengths and offer your weaknesses to Him for His correction and change. The only “it” that matters—and that you need—is a heart that longs to honor the Lord through your home and a desire to go back to the basic ABCs, when needed, to accomplish what He has given you to do.

Marilyn Rockett is a “graduated” homeschool mom of four grown sons and Mimi to six homeschooled grandchildren. The Rocketts home taught for fifteen years before they ran out of sons to teach. Her new book, Homeschooling at the Speed of Life (B&H Publishing), to be released in April 2007, provides organizational helps. Marilyn has contributed articles to many publications, gives Minding Your Time Seminars and speaks at homeschool and Christian women’s events. She presents Passing the Baton Seminars that encourage and teach adults how to effectively mentor. Visit her website at www.MarilynRockett.com or contact her at marilyn@MarilynRockett.com to learn more.

Start planning now!

www.OrganizedChristmas.com

Wisdom for Leaders: Homeschool Organization
By Teri Ann Berg Olsen

"Let all things be done decently and in order." (I Corinthians 14:40) "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace." (I Corinthians 14:33) Homeschool organization is a constant challenge. Like most households, homeschoolers deal with the everyday accumulation of laundry, dishes, toys, trash, and mail. In addition, we manage a multitude of school supplies, books, papers, and ongoing projects. A well-organized homeschool allows us to save time, energy, and money so that more of those resources can be utilized for the important task of educating our children. As Mary Pride once said, "If it's not worth finding a special place for, throw it out. You'll never find it anyway." We need to have a place for everything and put everything in its place. This enables us to concentrate on teaching rather than on picking up, rearranging, and looking for things. Maintaining an orderly homeschool inventory keeps us from spending extra money to buy duplicates of items that we lost, or forgot that we already have. Organized supplies require less time and energy spent looking for what we need. Our time is too valuable to waste it on searching for things. Besides, it is inconvenient to interrupt lessons by having to clear off tables and desks, or find lost pencils, missing chalk, and misplaced books. Teaching and studying amidst a lot of clutter day after day is distracting, discouraging, and mentally tiring. It's actually stress-relieving to have an organized house. Organized supplies are much more presentable than overflowing drawers or stuffed closets. File cabinets are a must for storing such items as workbooks, worksheets, school records, newsletters, magazine and newspaper articles. Bookcases and shelves are an excellent investment not only for books, but for models and displays, as well as for storing stackable containers filled with pencils and pens, crayons and markers, math manipulatives, letter and number magnets, etc. Make sure they are labeled. Clear plastic shoeboxes and empty baby wipe containers work well. Keep boxes of the same shape and size stored together so that they stack neatly. Arrange books so that they are easy to find, which may simply mean placing all of the science books on one shelf, history on another, and so on.

Eliminating unnecessary items makes additional space available for more useful educational materials. Throw away all the worthless stuff like ballpoint pens that don't work, broken toys, torn outdated maps, half-finished preschool workbooks that the kids have long outgrown, piles of old magazines, dried-out Play-Doh sets, puzzles and games with missing pieces. Also get rid of things that don't mean anything, and replace them with instructional or inspirational items. Instead of covering your walls with glow-in-the-dark sci-fi posters, put up colorful maps or historical timelines.

You don't have to keep all of the drawings your children make and every report they write, but don't throw away any masterpieces without their approval. At the end of each semester, decide together which creations are worth saving. Keep them in a special folder or scrapbook for each child. Over the years you can pare down the collection as you become more selective. Store these archival materials in the back of the closet, under the stairs, or up on a high shelf. Reserve the easily accessible locations for materials that are regularly referred to.

In general, things should be stored as close as possible to where they are most likely to be needed. Buy extra quantities of often-used essentials (such as pens, pencils, and paper) so there will be a supply handy in every room. Keep a tote bag equipped with bookmarks, notepad, pencil, scissors, stapler and highlighter pen. Use it to store all the newspapers, magazines, and books that you want to browse through. The tote bag can be carried from room to room. When you have time to sit down and go through it, take notes, clip and staple what you want, then dispose of the rest. Try to handle papers only once. Read them, file them, or discard them, so you don't keep re-shuffling the same papers.

Keep a box or basket in a central location to toss in things you find around the house, then set aside a certain time each day or once a week to return the items to their original locations. Remove clutter at its source by picking up after one activity before going on to the next. Remind children to put their toys away before getting something else out. Make cleaning fun by playing lively music, singing a clean-up song, setting a timer, or racing the clock (keep track of how long it takes and try to beat the time previously set). When picking up, put everything back where it belongs. Don't just keep moving the clutter around from room to room. Remember that keeping the house organized as you go along is a lot easier than waiting until it's in total chaos!

Additional References

• Schoolproof, by Mary Pride
• Classroom Organization: It Can Be Done, by Dinah Zike
• Clutter Free; Clutter's Last Stand; Not For Packrats Only; and The Office Clutter Cure, by Don Aslet
• Confessions of an Organized Homemaker and Confessions of a Happily Organized Family, by Deniece Schofield

Tips for Organizing - From The Organizer

• THIRTY SECOND RULE - If it takes thirty seconds or less
  to do, do it immediately.
• EASE OF RETURN AND RETRIEVAL
  Ask yourself two questions as you organizing your storage.
  ~ Will this item be easy to return?
  ~ Will this item be easy to get out?
  If what you need is hard to reach when you need to retrieve it -- you
  will frustrate yourself. If what you have gotten out is difficult to
  return - you will be tempted to leave it out rather than struggle to put it
  back.
• DO NOT CROWD your items into storage space. It is hard to work with jammed in things.
• PUT YOUR GROUPED ITEMS into baskets and label the baskets so you will know where things are located.
• PUT THE BASKETS ON SHELVES.Make your items easy to return and retrieve.
• MESSIES ANONYMOUS SLOGAN - The secret to success is making very small, yet very consistent, changes Or to make it short; Baby steps, baby steps in the right direction. Never underestimate the inevitability of gradualness.~Anonymous
  © Sandra Felton 2002
  
  The Organizer Lady™ is a trademark of Sandra Felton, founder of
  Messies Anonymous. Not affiliated with www.theorganizerlady.com in any
  way.

"How Can I Become Motivated
To Get My House in Order?"

     As the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31 who "looks well to the
ways of her household," we, too, want to follow the principle of
I Corinthians 14:40, "Let all things be done decently and in order."

     Can you imagine how much easier your life and home schooling
would be this fall if all the extra clutter were eliminated from
your home and it were clean and organized?

     Although organization imposes limits on your behavior, time,
and belongings, it is an essential tool for achieving freedom,
peace, and plenty. Human nature tends to throw off constraints and to do what
we feel like moment by moment. The result is chaos in the home
environment.  Personal victory in the area of household
organization will bring many benefits to your family, including:

1.  A home that is a haven from the world for our families,
     friends, and guests.

2.  Fewer allergies, illnesses, and accidents due to a clean,
     safe environment.

3.  Possessions that are in good repair and easy to find when
     needed, saving the time, money, and stress of looking for
     things or buying duplicates of unfound items.

4.  Less need for extra storage space.

5.  A pleasant and efficient environment for work and study.

6.  The ability to practice hospitality and to open the door and
     say "Come on in!" to unexpected visitors.

"How Do I Plan My Work?"
     You can choose one of these strategies or combine them to
fit your family's needs.  You may want to start with a bang and
finish off a little each week, or work up to an all-out effort.

1.  Decide Where To Start

 •  By Rooms
     You can go through your house room-by-room in any order:
from "public" living areas to storage, more cluttered rooms first
or last, or perhaps a different room for each day of the week.

 •  By Categories
     Or you could deal with categories one at a time: all your
books and papers, all your clothes, all your media, all your
kitchen things, etc., and then finish up room-by-room.

2.  Schedule Your Time

 •  One or Two Weeks Concentrated Time
     Schedule one or two weeks to unclutter.  Wipe all other
activities from your calendar and do a systematic pass through
your entire house.  You probably will not complete everything in
one week, but it will give you a big boost.  You can follow up
with one of the following schedules.

 •  One Day Each Week
     Schedule one day each week to unclutter.

 •  An Hour or Two each Day or on Several Days each Week
     The consistency of even small efforts -- just 15 minutes to
1 hour a day -- will pay off immensely.  Or you could schedule
2-4 hours once or twice a week.

3.  Enlist the Help of Family and Friends

 •  Ask your family and friends to support you in prayer if you
     are struggling to become more organized.

 •  Talk to your family about the benefits of an organized home
     and pray together that the Lord will help each one to let go
     of unneeded items and develop habits to maintain your home.

 •  Train your child to do cleaning chores and help him become
     consistent in doing them.

 •  Seek the wisdom and guidance of your Heavenly Father
     above all.

4.  Be Realistic
     There is a fine balance between a challenge and unrealistic
expectations.  In the long run, clutter and disorganization can
only be effectively overcome by constant and consistent effort.
It takes time to establish new habits and routines.
     Set your eyes on your goal, and even if you make only slow
progress each day and week, you will be delighted to see a real
difference in your home and life sooner than you might expect.

"How Can I Find a Place for Everything?"

Before you start the major dejunking process described
below, take some time to plan a place for everything you want to
keep.  This is the foundation of a neat home:  "A place for
everything and everything in its place!"
    

Budget your space, much like you would budget your money or
your time.  Consider the amount of space you have to work with
and what you want to do with it. 

This is a new way of thinking about your space and
belongings -- not simply where can I put everything, but what do
I need and where do I need it.

7 Steps To Finding a Place for Everything

Step 1
     Start by making a list of the functions your house is used
for (e.g., sleeping, cooking, washing, eating, playing, visiting,
making things, entertaining, studying).

Step 2
     Decide the best use of each room as you match it to one or
more of the functions.
     This is also a fresh approach to organizing your home.  For
instance, two or more children could share a room with bunk beds
and free up a room to be used for a your school work and library.

Step 3
     Next, write the name of each room at the top of a page and
list the uses of that room and what items should be in that room
for those needs.

Step 4
     Now assign a space in each room for the items needed there.

Step 5
     You will need some general storage space as well somewhere
in your house for miscellaneous items that don't fit anywhere
else or are being saved for later.  This could be either unused
space in the rooms, or a separate area in the attic, basement,
shed, etc.

Step 6
     After you know exactly where each item belongs, print copies
of your list.  Post them throughout the house (inside cupboard or
closet doors), and distribute them to family members.  You can
also place labels on shelves and in drawers and closets, etc. until
habits are firmly established for putting things where they belong.

Step 7
     Now you are ready to remove clutter and unneeded items from
your home.

     One way of getting started might be to check your list for
needed items and "go shopping" among your stuff, find them, and
put them away.  The balance can be discarded as suggested below.

"How Can I Deal with Clutter?"

Dealing with clutter is an ongoing challenge.  The "Four-Box
Dejunking Method" below is recommended by many experts to help
you identify and dispose of clutter.

1.  Get Four Boxes and Label Them:
 •  Throw Away
 •  Give Away and/or Sell
 •  Storage
 •  Put Away

2.  Make Your Decisions.
     As you go through the items in your current work zone, force
yourself to make a decision about each item you pick up and place
it in the correct box.  Indecision is often the biggest problem
in dealing with clutter.

Refer to your master list of items needed for each function
and space assigned for those items.  Ask yourself questions like
these:
•  Can I do without it?
 •  Do I have room for it?
 •  Can I use something else in its place?
 •  Can I borrow or rent one if I rarely need it?
 •  Do I have too many of these?
 •  Could someone else use this more than I would?

3.  Finish Up.
     Be sure to schedule time before you stop working each day to
appropriately dispose of box contents.

 •  Relocate "Put-Away" items in their correct places.

 •  Place "Give-Away" items (in labeled bags or boxes) into your
     car to take to their destination (e.g., donation center, church,
     support group, friends or relative's house).

 •  Put "Storage" items, as well as items for your summer yard
     sale or eBay sales, in clearly labeled boxes in your storage
     area.

 •  Throw away the rest.  Use large trash bags for non-garbage
     throw-aways, rather than overfilling your garbage can.  Some
     serious dejunkers even rent a small dump box.

"What Can I Do To Keep Clutter
from Making Itself at Home in My Home?"

To prevent clutter from accumulating again, try one or all
of the following suggestions.

1.  Hold Your Ground.
After a particular area (as small as one counter top or
drawer) has been cleared, do a daily clutter check of that area
to make sure no clutter is permitted to return.

2.  Put Everything in Its Place.
Each member of your family needs to know where every item
belongs.  (Review your master lists!)

Keep eliminating stuff until everything fits in the space you
have available, rather than wishing for something you do not have --
more space for more stuff!

3.  Build Good Habits.
Work hard on the habit of returning items to their homes. One suggestion is to have an attractive basket or other container in a corner of each room for items that need to be put away in another room.

At a designated time each day (e.g., before dinner, bedtime,
or free time) have each person check the containers and put away
his own belongings and things that he has used.

4.  "One Comes In, One Goes Out" Rule. 
When you buy a new item, another item must be discarded,
recycled, sold, or donated.  This keeps the sheer number of items
below the clutter point.  It can also save money as you consider
if you really need or want to buy a new item badly enough to
release one you already have.

5.  Don't Buy It. 
It is more cost effective to rent some seldom-needed items
or to borrow them from your public, church, or home-school
library.  This is another way to keep down the volume of material
in your home and storage space.

"Who Would Want My Castoffs?" 

Ridding your home and life of clutter is enough reward in
itself, but you may also realize other profits.  Items that could
still be of use to others can be disposed of in several ways:

1.  Give Them Away 
Give them to people you know that could use them or donate
them to your church, mission, Goodwill, or Salvation Army.

2.  Sell Them in a Garage or Rummage Sale 
(See "Yard Sale Tips" at 
http://www.organizedhome.com/content-54.html.)

3.  Sell Them Online
 •  My Homeschool Store.  http://www.MyHomeschoolStore.com
 •  abeBooks.  http://www.abebooks.com/docs/Sell
 •  eBay.  http://sell.ebay.com/sell?ssPageName=h:h:syi:US
     Suzanne Himka, a home-school mother, has written an article
with detailed information on how to sell on eBay at:
http://www.teachinghome.com/newsletters/vol_2-no_42.cfm.

"Am I Finally Ready for 'Spring' Cleaning?" 

Did you miss spring cleaning this year (or maybe the last
several years)?

Of course, if you are really well organized, you have been
keeping your house neat and clean all year.  But those of us who
always seem to be a little behind probably need to do a good,
thorough house cleaning right about now. 

If you followed the steps above for dejunking your house,
you are ready for the next step -- discover a new level of
clean.  It is amazing how easy it is to clean a house with the
clutter out of the way.  In fact, your house might even be cleared
up enough so that you can hire some help for the scrubbing! 
Afterwards, enjoy the fruits of your labor as your family and
friends live and fellowship in your clean and orderly home.

For valuable tips on efficient ways to clean anything, see
the online resources listed below.

Online Resources 

These websites contain a wealth of practical and encouraging
information.

The Organized Home
     Many pages of free information about how to organize,
unclutter, simplify, and clean your home, including:
 •  Several articles on decluttering.
     http://www.organizedhome.com/content-cat-2.html
 •  Many detailed articles on cleaning.
     http://www.organizedhome.com/content-cat-5.html
 •  Much more!
     http://www.organizedhome.com

The Fly Lady
     The FlyLady takes you by the hand and gently leads you step
by baby step through her housecleaning and organizing program.
 •  FlyLady.Net Table of Contents
     http://www.flylady.net/pages/TableOfContents.asp
 •  "Declutter 15 Minutes a Day - 5 Great Tools That Make it Easy!"
     http://www.flylady.net/pages/FLYingLessons_Decluttertips.asp
 •  "How To Declutter"
     http://www.flylady.net/pages/FLYingLessons_Declutter.asp

Don Aslett's Cleaning Center
 •  "Clutter's Last Stand" and other books by Don Aslett.
     http://www.cleanreport.com/sub_category.cfm?subid=5
 •  Articles on dejunking and cleaning.
     http://www.cleanreport.com/new_articles.cfm

The Organized Homeschool    

By Jessica Harvey

As you walk into my living room, some of the first things you'll see are two large US and world maps, a handwriting border, and two bookcases and a basket of books. You won't be seeing my living room on the cover of this month's Better Homes and Gardens magazine; however, you will see two children who absolutely love to learn. My days are often made up of a cycle of cleaning up, messing up, cleaning up ... well, you get the point. It's not unusual to find science experiments stored on top of my refrigerator or binders and books strewn across the living room floor. The challenge, though, is trying to figure out how to create an atmosphere of learning while keeping our home welcoming to ourselves and others. So how do I do it? Well, I've come up with a few simple guidelines that I believe can be adapted to any family and their needs.

Many moms of today grew up with busy childhoods of simply busywork. We got up, rode the bus, went to school, rode the bus, did homework, ate supper, watched TV, went to bed, and did the same routine every day for years and years. Some of us were blessed enough to have chores before and/or after school and on Saturdays. Some of us had moms who did all the work while we were at school. As usually happens, we raise our children like we were raised. This housekeeping system might work, if were using the same small family system and school system, but throw several more children into the mix with homeschooling and the old system of mom doing all the house work will break the system or break the mom. Are you burned out with school or housework? Don’t throw in the towel. Read on…

Planning

First of all you’re going to need to make a plan and to help you do that you need to identify what is working and what is not in your home. Make a list of the good things and at your Team Meeting praise your Team for these things. Then make a list of the things that need improvement and do some brainstorming about how the Team can improve on these points. Now, spend some time praying over these things and over the time that you will talk to your husband and your team. Your husband is part of the Team also, technically he is the Head Coach and it might help you to identify him as such when you are writing out your brainstorming ideas.

Next, find a good time to talk to your husband, the Head Coach, about these things. Right when he comes home from work is not it. A date night might be good time, or after the children are in bed. Ask him what he would like to see improved around the home and if he has any ideas for how to improve them. Tell him that you would like to work on Teamwork within the family and assign the children to different positions around the home. Try really hard to not take the things he says personally and become offended and act defensive. Pray for grace. Remember, you are asking him for advice and bringing ideas to him and he might say things in a way that you don’t appreciate. Try to separate the message from any reactive emotions that you find bubbling up. Have a pencil and paper in hand and write down what he is saying. This conversation will help you to learn how to be a better helpmate to your husband.

For example, it might be really important for him to sit down in his favorite chair and relax when he first comes home. He might tell you that he doesn’t like Legos spread all over the floor of that room, a stack of books on his chair and kids bickering over whose turn it is to set the glasses on the supper table. Squelch your excuses, and talk about what you as helpmeet can do to make his time at home more pleasant. Write, write, write what he tells you. The physical act of writing will help you keep a lid on your emotions. You might not like his ideas at first hearing, but do your best not to tell him “This and that won’t work because…” Think about things for awhile, take time to process it.

Before you and your husband end the conversation, set at time to have a Team Meeting with the whole family.

The Team Meeting

This is the part where you get the children on your Team. Explain to them that the family must work together in order to live in peace and harmony in this home. Ask them: What are the things that we do around here so that we have food, clothing, a clean home, and a nice yard? It might help to have a white board, chalk board, or big sheet of paper to list these things really big. Think coach and team. Fill up the board with all the things that the children say. They might name silly small things but put these things down also. When they run out of ideas, steer them towards other things or areas of the house. Help them to “see” that the house takes a lot of work. Now, don’t forget that you’re also the teacher, have the children list the things that you as teacher do.

Once you’ve exhausted this activity and before their attention span has withered away, you or preferably the Head Coach need to tell them that one person cannot do all these things and that the family needs to act more like a Team. Now, have ready a list of all the things that need done in each room of the house: Daily, Weekly, Monthly. Have each room’s list on its own paper in a sleeve protector or laminated. Show them to the Team so they understand that the work is made up it just needs delegated. You might want to save the Kitchen and Table Chores for another Team Meeting working things in gradually helps them to “stick” better. Ask each member of the Team what their favorite room is. Assign each member to be responsible for their favorite room. They will care more about keeping a room nice if it’s their favorite. If you have children fighting over a room, then draw straws and promise to trade in couple of months.

Babies and toddlers of course cannot be counted on to do Room Chores of course, but they can learn by watching. Assign them to a buddy and the buddy should take them along with their work and they can do little things like pick up toys or trash. Preschoolers are unreliable and are better suited to be assigned a big kid also to be a mini-team. Unless, the preschoolers are the oldest children in the house, then it is best that you bring your preschoolers along with you with whatever you are doing. Show them what to do, and let them do the work with you. These children you are training so that they can train the next set of little children when they are the big ones. It will take you longer to do the work but it will pay big dividends down the road. When you go into each room, show the children the paper that has listed the things that need done. Now, assign each item to the smallest person capable of doing each item. Teach this method to your big children that are a mini-team with little children.

At your Team Meeting, explain these things to the Team. It probably won’t all sink in until you are actually doing the work. The first few days and weeks will be challenging. As Coach, you need to keep the spirits up. Encourage the Team. Praise them. Don’t forget Feast Night. Praise and reward the children that are doing their best. Challenge the other children to work harder at helping out the Team.

Don’t be Bobby Knight. You and the Head Coach are pictures of our Heavenly Father. Yes, he chastises us but He also loves us and is very patient with us. Keep this in mind when coaching your Team throughout the week.

One-on-One Coaching

Children love and crave attention. They want your love. And I know that you do love them. I am in no way suggesting that you use love to manipulate them to do what you want. That is sick and wrong. But working along side any child of any age, encouraging them and teaching them is a wonderful way to get to know a child better and it greatly encourages them to work harder and more diligently. They get a better picture of why they are doing what they are doing. Working along side a loved one is fun, enjoyable, encouraging, and doesn’t seem like work at all. When work is done alone it can be dull and drudgery. Of course a lot of times work does need to be done alone and this is when they need to be taught to enjoy work for work’s sake, to do it for the family, to do it heartily as unto the Lord, to sing or whistle while they work, to work quickly and efficiently in order to get it done. These things you can teach them when you are working side-by-side. Start this when the children are little and they will teach it to the next set of little children.

Just do it

I know the phrase hardly means anything anymore. But really, that is what a lot of work boils down to. Just do it. This is another thing that we need to teach our children, gently of course. Try not to yell, “Just do it!” Teach them that it’s an attitude. It’s determination. Demonstrate it for them. No pity parties allowed. Set a good example.  When you sigh while washing dishes, they will learn to do it also. Sometimes it takes great effort, you have to force yourself to defrost the deep freeze or gather the supplies to paint. Then once you’re actually doing it, it flows and goes forward and soon your done and you realize that getting up the momentum to do it was far greater than the effort to do the task. Make the “Just do it” phrase and attitude stick in your brain. Teach your children that it must just stick in the brain. Say it, sing it, whisper it, yell it with gusto (not anger), but do not sigh or whine it.

Pre-season

When you start out building your team, they might be severely out of shape or just mildly. The first few workouts might hurt. As coach, you need to build up their attitudes and encourage them. Show them the progress and teach them to admire their work. Help them to build satisfaction in doing work. As each week passes, point out to them the progress. Build incentives into the work. Dad gets paid for work. He supports the family with the money he earns so in essence Mom gets paid. Teach the children that the Bible says, “If you don’t work, you don’t eat.” That’s found in 2 Thessalonians 3:10. Teach the children that as a productive member of this Team/family they must pitch in and help share the workload. It is their duty. It is also your duty as mom to teach them this principle. To do any less is to set them up for failure as a provider to their own family. So in these first weeks of Team building it will be hard work for everyone until they get the drills down and build strength. “You can do it!” is a great encouraging word that you can say to your children and teach them to say it to each other and to you.

The Huddle

Every day, gather the Team together before chore time and pass around some encouragement. Give some quick praises for shown improvement and some quick words of instruction for improvements that need to happen. Then “GO TEAM!” and quick get the work done.

Time Out

There are days when things don’t go well. Sickness, weather, a late night, busy-ness, etc. these things can bring a Team down. At times like these, it’s good to take a break. Gather them together, give some words of encouragement, get a drink or a snack, read a story, and then go back again and get the work finished up. Some days we lose the game. That’s OK as long as we can replay the situation and figure out what went wrong and then move forward with improvements in mind.

Teamwork

Sometimes one person’s area needs cleaned really fast, such as when you see unexpected company driving down the lane. Then everybody needs to pitch in together to do a quick tidy of the public area of the house, starting with the view from the front door. This is something to practice for so when it happens in reality everybody know what to do and how to do it fast. Whining, “But it’s not my job” is unacceptable at anytime because everybody should help each other but when doing a Quick Tidy it’s especially unacceptable. You don’t have time when company is walking up to the house to go discipline the whiner so prepare ahead of time with practice runs so that there is no whiner. A really helpful saying we have around our house is “We are a family, we love each other, we take care of each other, and we help each other.”

The Finish Line

Is there a finish on this earth? At some point these little players will grow into big players and move on to other games and sports. They won’t be in our homes forever. We need to prepare these players for that game, it our duty as Coach. Yes, we need the physical help because we can’t do it all alone. But there is a far bigger picture; we are their God-given Coach training up Godly seed. Our children need to learn what work is and how to go about it in a Godly manner. Once we have done our Coaching duty and our children are glorifying God with their lives and their work, then is our game is nearing completion? I don’t think so, I myself learned a lot about work from my grandmother. I think we’ll just keep on getting to be better Coaches and have lots more children (grandchildren) to coach.

Planning for the New Homeschool Year

by Shirley M.R. Minster, MS. Ed.

I am really enjoying my membership to the Homeschool Organizer Yahoo group! It is great for getting/giving advice on organizing your homes and your homeschools, as well as schedules, etc.

I thought some of y'all might be interested in joing us too!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homeschool-organizer/